Beeld van Vrijheid 1758 - 1829

Editor: So, this is Theodoor Koning's "Beeld van Vrijheid," an engraving that was made somewhere between 1758 and 1829. The figures have a rather static, staged quality to me. What strikes you most about it? Curator: I am immediately drawn to the engraving itself, a decidedly materialist method of disseminating political ideologies. Think about the labour involved in creating this multiple—the engraver, the printer, and then the distribution network. Each step underscores the means by which concepts of 'freedom' were produced and consumed in that era. Editor: That's a different way to look at it than I considered, could you clarify what you mean by consumed? Curator: Absolutely, in this period the engraving was not simply "art," but a commodity. The social status and values it represents – like liberty – are being marketed and sold alongside the print. Who could afford it? What kind of homes would these prints hang in? How did that shape the reception of liberty as an idea? These questions are key. Editor: So, it is not just the image, but the fact that it's a print which affects its message? Curator: Precisely! Consider the shift from unique paintings only accessible to elites to the democratization inherent in printmaking. But even this 'democratization' has its limits determined by economic access and distribution networks. The tension between the ideal of freedom and the material realities of its production is where this engraving gets interesting. Editor: I see, so by focusing on the physical print, we learn about who really had access to the ideas of freedom back then. Thanks, I am going to have to think more about art as a product in addition to just image.